Scots 'Want an Independence Vote'

[Nachtengel]

An opinion poll commissioned by BBC Scotland has shown a clear majority (58%) of Scots want a referendum on independence next year.

The poll also suggests support for the Union outstrips that for independence from the UK.

However, the poll found the percentage of people saying they support independence varies widely depending on how the question is phrased.

The Scottish Government wants to hold a referendum on the issue in 2010.

The poll of 1,010 people, carried out between 22 and 24 June by ICM, found 58% of respondents were in favour of the idea of holding a referendum next year on whether Scotland should become independent, with only 37% against.

When asked "In a referendum on independence for Scotland, how would you vote?", 38% responded that they believed Scotland should become an independent country, with 54% saying they did not believe it should become independent.

However, the pollsters also asked a separate question asking whether people agreed or disagreed that "the Scottish Government should negotiate a settlement with the government of the United Kingdom so that Scotland becomes an independent state" - the preferred wording of the Scottish Government for a future referendum.

In this case, 42% agreed with the statement, with 50% opposed.The poll also asked which of a range of scenarios were closest to people's views of how Scotland should be governed.

Under this wording, only 28% backed the option of Scotland becoming independent of the rest of the UK, with 47% in favour of remaining in the UK, with the Scottish Parliament able to make some decisions about the level of taxation and government spending in Scotland.

A further 22% said Scotland should remain part of the UK, with decisions about the level of taxation and spending in Scotland made by the UK Government.

Finally, respondents were asked whether they believed it was likely or unlikely Scotland would become completely independent from the UK within the next 20 years.

The results showed that 10% thought it was very likely and 28% believed it was quite likely.

However, a larger percentage were not so sure, with 34% responding that it was quite unlikely and 24% believing independence was very unlikely.

Continued:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8125041.stm

[triedandtru]

I hope they get it.

[saxonblood]

The SNP are a disaster for Scotland, if they take Scotland out of the union it will be so much easier for Scotland, and the rest of the UK to be swallowed under the tide of mass immigration and the EU leviathan.

[triedandtru]

The SNP are a disaster for Scotland, if they take Scotland out of the union it will be so much easier for Scotland, and the rest of the UK to be swallowed under the tide of mass immigration and the EU leviathan.

Touche. Although it seems like the EU might already be getting its way in that sense. Fortunately the currency hasn't changed yet to the euro.

[Renwein]

The SNP are a disaster for Scotland, if they take Scotland out of the union it will be so much easier for Scotland, and the rest of the UK to be swallowed under the tide of mass immigration and the EU leviathan.

I'm not sure I agree, it's true the SNP are pro-immigrant for instance but splitting the countries would increase national 'awareness', particularly in England (English identity has tended to be swamped by 'British' identity). So that could benifit both peoples. Besides at present England already is swamped by mass immigration, so I don't see how that could get worse, in fact it might get better if a break-up of the union causes more English to consider themselves as an independant entity.

Also, Scots, Welsh etc. have never voted for 'real' ethnic nationalist parties (BNP, NF) and tend to see them as 'arms of 'the English' out to control them (I've no idea why, when these parties often campaign for local identity, unlike the scottish so-called 'national' party which promotes immigration etc), because SNP, Plaid Cymru etc. already cater to their nationalist 'instincts' and take the votes of people with those inclinations. I think if they all seperated, it would enhance nationalist feelings in each area, the proportion of 'real' nationalist votes would be higher in an independant England than is in Britain, and all three would would be able to field and elect factions/parties to combat the EU's 'vision' of Europe (and new space would open for these views in Scotland / Wales if PC or SNP had achieved separation), rather than just one small 'group' for the country as a whole.

[Astrid Runa]

Too damn right we do.
We deserve independance.
I think we're more or less sick of being mistaken for the English and being told that we're the same as England.
It's not just that, though. We're losing our identity. Kids in schools aren't being taught Gaelic. We're not being taught Scotland's history. Why? Because the British Government have control over what we learn in school. Education is a reserved power, not a devolved one.
If we broke away from England completely, then we'd have control over what happened in our country. Nobody will be able to tell us how to run our country.
You have no idea how annoying it is being told that you're English when you're not. It's like calling a Canadian an American. We find it extremly annoying, and I can guarantee that if you go to Glasgow and call a Scotsman and Englishman, then you;re gonnae get a Gelsgae kiss faster than you can say "Odin".
P.s: I prefer the SNP to Labour, personally. At least SNP are against Nuclear Power....
Hail Alba...

[Siebenbürgerin]

We're losing our identity. Kids in schools aren't being taught Gaelic.

Hmm, but isn't this just the identity of some Scottish people, but not all? Because what about Scots, the Germanic language spoken in the Lowlands?

Scots is a Germanic language closely related to English and spoken by about 1.5 million people in Scotland. Scots is descended from the language of the Angles who settled in northern Britain, in an area now known as Northumbria and southern Scotland, in the 5th century AD. The language was originally know as 'Inglis' and has been influenced by Gaelic, Norse, Latin, Dutch, Norman French, Standard French and English.

By the 14th century Scots was the main language of Scotland and was used in literature, education, government and in legal documents. This was the period when Scots literature began to take off and notable literary works include Barbour's Brus, Whyntoun's Kronykil and Blin Harry's Wallace.

After the union of the Scottish and English parliaments in 1707, English became the language of government and of polite society in Scotland, though the vast majority of people continued to speak Scots. English also began to replace Scots as the main written language in Scotland.

Since the 1990s there has been limited use of Scots in education, the media and in literature. In 1983 a Scots translation of the New Testament was published and 1985 the saw the publication of the SNDA's Concise Scots Dictionary.

Scots is also known as braid Scots, Doric, Scotch or Lallans. Some people classify it as a dialect of English, and while it is closely related to English dialects spoken in Northumbria, it has had it's own literary tradition since the 14th century. Today there is a continuum of speech ranging from broad Scots to Scottish Standard English and many people switch between different parts of the continuum depending on circumstances.

The UK government accepts Scots as a regional language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and the Scottish Executive recognises and respects Scots (in all its forms) as a distinct language, and does not consider the use of Scots to be an indication of poor competence in English.

The source:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/scots.htm

[RoyBatty]

Too damn right we do.
We deserve independance.
I think we're more or less sick of being mistaken for the English and being told that we're the same as England.
It's not just that, though. We're losing our identity. Kids in schools aren't being taught Gaelic. We're not being taught Scotland's history. Why? Because the British Government have control over what we learn in school. Education is a reserved power, not a devolved one.
If we broke away from England completely, then we'd have control over what happened in our country. Nobody will be able to tell us how to run our country.
You have no idea how annoying it is being told that you're English when you're not. It's like calling a Canadian an American. We find it extremly annoying, and I can guarantee that if you go to Glasgow and call a Scotsman and Englishman, then you;re gonnae get a Gelsgae kiss faster than you can say "Odin".
P.s: I prefer the SNP to Labour, personally. At least SNP are against Nuclear Power....
Hail Alba...

Us "nasty Englanders" would be only too happy to give you your independence. Nothing on earth would make us happier.

No more Scottish Knight Templars / Masons running the country and stealing the coffers bare, no more $$$$ handouts to pay for Scotland, no more Scots in our parliament while we can't reciprocate, no more whining in our ears about freedom.

Please believe me when I say that it isn't us (ordinary people) who are holding you hostage in the UK. It's the ruling elites. Don't blame us for your problems. If you really want freedom, put your money where your mouthes are and go vote for it.

[beowulf wodenson]

If only the people of Dixie's states were ready for a vote on secession and independence again......good for Scotland if secession from the UK is the will of the people there.

Too damn right we do.
We deserve independance.
I think we're more or less sick of being mistaken for the English and being told that we're the same as England.
It's not just that, though. We're losing our identity. Kids in schools aren't being taught Gaelic. We're not being taught Scotland's history. Why? Because the British Government have control over what we learn in school. Education is a reserved power, not a devolved one.
If we broke away from England completely, then we'd have control over what happened in our country. Nobody will be able to tell us how to run our country.
You have no idea how annoying it is being told that you're English when you're not. It's like calling a Canadian an American. We find it extremly annoying, and I can guarantee that if you go to Glasgow and call a Scotsman and Englishman, then you;re gonnae get a Gelsgae kiss faster than you can say "Odin".
P.s: I prefer the SNP to Labour, personally. At least SNP are against Nuclear Power....
Hail Alba...

In a sense much the same has happened to us in the South since 1865. The United States government and Northern yankee states have attempted to impose their culture, version of history, ways of government on the Southland ever since Appomattox. Our children are taught in school to be ashamed of their own ancestors and history, of the Confederacy and men that fought for her independence, that the Confederate veteran fought for the preservation of slavery alone. I have 17 relatives, grandfathers, uncles, and cousins that fought for the Confederacy, some of which died in the service. I'm very proud of that and raising my kids the same way.
The Southern white man is still denigrated and discriminated against today by pop (anti) culture on television, movies, academia, "Civil Rights" laws, etc. The war 'ain't" over.
Yet, the Southern states are still a distinct section and culture in America. If we are to preserve our liberties and any vestige of constitutional government and states rights we must seek our independence again, I believe. Secesh, hell yeah.
For all you foreign folk, come South and call somebody a "yank" and you'll get to enjoy some Southern "hospitality" for sure....
Hail Alba, Hail Dixie, any nation and culture that strives for freedom and self-determination!

[Alizon Device]

This whole debate is the wrong way round.
It's the English who should be seeking independence from Scotland and maybe even Wales.

The person responsible for the shackling together of England and Scotland was a Scotsman, King James VI.

The person who started the process of Wales' absorption into England was a Welshman, Henry VII. The person who completed the carrying out of the death of Wales as a country, relegating it to a principality of England was his son, Henry VIII.

We English had no say in the matter!

And as for the subject of who rules the United Kingdom, we English have far more right to feel unrepresented than the Scots.

Here is a list of the Top 5 most powerful leaders in the UK...

1. Gordon Brown (Scot) Prime Minister
2.Alastair Darling (Scot) Chancellor of the Exchequer
3. Lord Mandelson (Jew) First Secretary of State
4. David Miliband (Jew) Foreign Secretary
5. Jack Straw (Jew) Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Where is the English voice? We have no-one!